V8 Supercars launches web TV service

V8 Supercars will being charging for its online broadcasting from mid April. Photo: Mark Horsburgh

Motorsport

John Stensholt

V8 Supercars Australia will roll out a subscription IPTV service next month after a successful trial at the season-opening Clipsal 500 race in Adelaide two weeks ago.

V8 Supercars broadcast the Adelaide event over the internet for free as it plans to do for the Tasmania 360 on the weekend beginning April 6, before charging for the service for the Auckland race a week later.

V8 chief executive David Malone said the move was part of the organisation’s strategy of keeping more revenue from its digital products: “We will be offering a subscription service to our fans at a price point that is yet to be determined. But it is certainly an intention of ours to monetise services we provide on our website, replays for races and the live broadcast stream.”

The V8s see digital services as an important source of income, particularly as the value of its new broadcasting deal with Seven West Media, which included a cash component of $18 million, was below its previous deal.

The V8s deliberately kept digital rights rather than outsource it to another party or enter into a joint venture. The NRL and AFL have also offered a new digital only broadcast product this year, charging customers about $90 for a full season service.

Mr Malone said more testing was needed to ensure the broadcast was of sufficient quality across several platforms, with the service being provided by US company Brightcove.

He said feedback about picture and audio quality of the telecast had been good. V8 Supercars used the pictures it produced for Seven Network’s free-to-air coverage and its commentary.

About 21,000 people viewed the Adelaide event online, a number Mr Malone was satisfied with given the V8s had not advertised the service and gave it little promotion on its website.

Interest in the Adelaide race was strong, with traffic on the official V8 website up 39 per cent compared with last year and impressions on its Facebook page rising 60 per cent.